Device for transmitting and receiving sound waves in water on board ship from ships



July 9, 1929. w, KUNZE 1,719,937

DEVICE FOR TRANSMITTING AND RECEIVING SOUND WAVES IN WATER ON BOARD SHIP FROM SHIPS Filed Sept. 6, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet J.

July 9, 1929. w. KUNZE DEVICE FOR TRANSMITTING AND RECEIVING SOUND WAVES IN WATER ON BOARD SHIP "FROM SHIPS Filed Sept 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 pr: Wll/y Kanze Patented July 9, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLY KUNZE, 0F BREMEN, GERMANY.

DEVICE FOR TRANSMITTING- AND RECEIVING SOUND WAVES IN WATER ON BOARD SHIP FROM SHIPS.

Application filed September 6, 1928, Serial No. 304,268, and in Germany April 11, 1927.

The invention relates to subaqueous sound signaling and in particular to the means and method of the installation of signaling devices upon ships.

Signaling means for receiving and sending sound signals have in the past been placed in the hull of the ship in water tanks, in the skin of the vessel, and just outside the vessel in tanks or protected in some other These methods of installation have certain drawbacks, inasmuch as the sound, before it is transmitted to the receiving devices, has to penetrate through the whirling water strata produced at'the hull of the shlp by the travelling ship, and is thereby considerably reduced in strength. This influence is especially noticeable in case short waves are used.

In order to overcome this difliculty, receiving and transmitting devices have been projected from the bottom of the ship by specially constructed means which are usually stream line bodies. This does, in fact, overcome the difiiculty and makes the sound signaling apparatus very much moreeflicient than the older apparatus was. However, this is not wholly satisfactory, since a space of relatively great height is required to accommodate a structure of this type which is projected from the ships bottom. Special difficulties arise in the case of men-of-war, where the shaft enclosing the projecting structure has to be carried through several decks.

A further material disadvantage in this construction is that a considerable opening must be made in the ship below the water line to allow the apparatus to be exposed and withdrawn, and this opening is found very difiicult to make water-tight, especially as it must readily be adaptable to allow the signaling device to be moved up and down. This is a source of danger which must constantly be watched and guarded against.

These difficulties are removed by the present invention. The characteristic feature of the invention is that one or several beams are articulated to the ships bottom so that they may be swung up and down. To the said beams are fixed one or more transmitters and receivers. These receivers and transmitters may be of any well known type, either electrodynamic or electromagnetic, and also microphonic in the case of sound receivers.

A swinging beam of the type above men-.

tioned takes up, naturally, no large space in regard to the height of the ship, and it may rather be folded down or collapsed into the double bottom of the ship conveniently. The arrangement may be in such a manner that, at the ships bottom or in the double bottom, a tray, separated from the ships inside, may be provided, into which the device may be folded so that no part of the same will project over the outlines of the ship.

It is, however, quite admissible to arrange the beam outside of the ships bottom surface, e. g. in the'manner of a fin, so that it may be swung up or drawn in by an operation within the boat. It is preferable to effect the swinging motion by means of hydraulic or electrical arrangements, which can be operated from the bridge or some other commanding station on board ship. For some purposes it will be advisable to provide a plurality of such swinging beams at the ship, and to have the swinging operation performed by means of the same driving mechanism.

In a modification, especially adapted for submarine boats, the beam is arranged at or in the keel of the submarine boat.

In the annexed drawings, forming part of this specification, an embodiment of the invention has been disclosed.

In the drawings Figure '1 is a diagrammatical side elevation of a folding device of the type described, s

Figure 2 is a plan view of the same.

Figure 3 is a partial cross section of the lower part of a submarine boat fitted with a device according to the invention (beam shown in front elevation),

Figure 4 is a side view of the beam, and

Figure 5 is a cross section on line V-V of Figure 4.

In the modification shown in Figures 1 and 2, a beam a rotatable about'the hinge b is positioned in the direction of the ships travel, and in its normal operative position has a cross section of stream line shape. Mounted on or inserted in this beam a, there are arranged three sound signaling devices 0, d, e which may be either receiving or sending devices of the types above mentioned. The unit in Figure 1 has been placed within the ships bottom inside of a tray f, opening downwards. Said tray may be adapted to be closed against the entrance of water from outside, by means of a slide arrangement, if required, so that it is possible, with the ship afloat, to remove or install the device.

A- construction of this character has the material advantage that, notwithstanding that a large sized beam a is used for the transmitting and receiving devices, only a comparatively small part, i. e., the joint I) having the shape of, for example, a shaft passing through the ships hull, has to be ept water tight. This is easily done by means of glandsor similar devices in a safe manner, even in case of great depths (submarine boats).

Driving power for the folding movement is supplied, for example, by an electric motor actuating, in the. first instance a tooth wheel h. Articulated to this is a connecting rod i, acting in combination with a lever 70, on the sha t b of the beam. In order to prevent, as much as possible, heavy vibration of the folding beam when the ship is travelling, fixing arrangements are preferably provided. Instead of applying the power for moving the beam, to the shaft, the arrangement may, of course, be that the driving power for effecting the folding movement may also apply to the extreme end of the beam or near this point, by means of rod gear, chains or ropes. After finishing the folding out movement, the above mentioned organs may also be used, at the same time, for fixing the beam itself.

Normally, the arrangement will be made so that the beam is folded out in the longitudinal direction of the ship in this manner, that the turning oint of the beam is placed to the front or orward. In certain cases, however, it may be of advantage to place the turning point towards the back or astern, to make the beam open out by its own weight and to keep it in its opened out, vertical position abutting agamst a bearing point or structure, and to use it in this osition. In that case, only a device for olding-in the beam should be required.

In the modification according to Figures 35, a folding or swinging beam 1 for sub aqueous sound receiving and transmitting apparatus 2 is arranged outside the ships hull 3. In the modification shown, keel 4 has been used for this purpose, said keelin submarine boats beingknown to be made specially wide and heavy. In this keel a short shaft 5 has been placed, which is connected to beam 1. This shaft is connected to a driving shaft 8 by means of any gear, for instance bevel wheels 6, 7. The driving mechanism has been indicated in the modification shown by a wormwheel andworm, which are placed in a casing 9. The worm is actuated by means of a hand crank 10.

Any other kind of connection is, of course, admissible between the shafts 5 and 8, and also any other mechanical drive, such ,as an electric motor or similar device. In this manner it may be possible to actuate the folding beam 1 by means of a distant actuating device from a oint at a distance, for example by means 0 a push button control. -By means of this arrangement it is possible to place the beam 1 into the vertical position shown without any further trouble, and in this position it is especially well adapted to the reception or transmission of signals from or to other vessels oi other transmitting stations, since in the case of a plurality of receivers especially if arranged at certain distances, its field ofsound extends principally in a horizontal direction It is an easy matter, also, to move this beam into a horizontal position,as shown at 1 in dotted lines. In this position, the device is highly adapted to the purpose of sounding, since With a plurality of transmitters or receivers arranged at 'certain distances, the field of sound of same will extend essentially in a vertical direction. From the drawing it is evident, that in the device according to the present invention, the ships hull 3 need be apertured only at one'point, at 11, and that a joint may be made here most conveniently.

The sectional form of the beam 1 is preferably in the shape of stream lines, as is shown in Figure 5, and these lines may be embodied also in element 4, which either extends over the entire length of beam 1, or is provided only at the point of bearing. These lines are adopted in order to lessen as much as possible the resistance in the water. In case element 4 is confined to the vicinity of the bearing, all, or at least a number of the subaqueous sound receiving or transmitting devices are accessible to the sound waves from all sides, even when the beam 1 is horizontal. And in this position it is possible to receive, for example, sounds without any further circumstances, as is desirable for many purposes. In case element 4 extends over a large distance, the beam is 'accessible to sounds at least on one side, and the screening effect on the other side is not by far as effective as if the beam is arranged inside the'ship in a specially prepared tray.

In a preferred modification the beam 1 and its driving device have an adjustable friction coupling placed between them, as indicated at 12 in dotted lines, This is done in order to enable the beam 1 to swing out 1 touches ground or meets any other obstacles offered to submarine boats, for example in the form of nets.

For such cases it is advisible to have an index 13 provided at the coupling together with a ointer 14:, whereby the present position of the beam in the inside of the ship is indicated, and whereby it is possible to adjust again the beam into its limit positions.

The design and construction according to the present invention make it possible to provide means of light weight and simple construction Further, the operation is very simple and easy to control, especially in submarine boats. The fact that the beam 1 is placed without the ships hull makes it possible to signal in all directions, without the interference of any screening effect by the ships body of the subaqueous sound sig nals. In addition, as has already been indicated, the transmission and reception of signals is also possible for the beam in a horizontal position.

It is, of course, possible to adopt a construction in which the beam is placed inside a ships keel or in a similar part, in its horizontal position, if it will remain outside the actual ships body in this position.

In the description of the above modification the special conditions have been considered obtaining in the case of a submarine boat. In a submarine boat, as little as possible room or space should be used for installing the device, and the construction should be as light as possible. On the other hand, the parts of the device should be placed and arranged so that they are protected from external injury even though the submarine should settle on the ground, as is necessary for submarine boats under certain conditions.

In the case of the submarine boat it should be further taken into account that in diving to great depths the ships body is subjected to considerably higher strains than would be met by the body of the ordinary surface vessel.

It should be noted that the invention applies to means and methods of installation and construction of sound signaling apparatus in general and is not applied only to receiving or sending apparatus or to any particular type thereof. The transmitters may be submarine oscillators, strikers, or any type of mechanically or electrically operated transmitters.

In the operation of the device, if horizontal signaling is desired, the beam is placed in a vertical position by any of the means and methods described. If vertical signaling is desired, the beam is placed in a horizontal position, as for instance when the sysfrom the vertical position, in case the beam tem is used in acoustic depth sounding by the echo method.

I claim:

1. Sound signaling means including a plurality of signaling devices and an arm in which said devices are mounted, means for pivoting said arm exterior of the hull of the vessel in the water, and means for changing the position of said arm from a vertical to a horizontal position, said means being operated from within the vessel.

2. Sound signaling means including asignaling device and an arm in which said device is mounted, means for pivoting said arm exterior of the hull of the vessel in the water, and means for changing the position of said arm from a vertical to a horizontal position, said means being operated from within the vessel, whereby the signaling device may be lowered below the layer of air impregnated water.

Sound signaling means including an arm in which a signaling device is mounted, a compartment located in the hull of a vessel in the water, means for pivoting said arm in said compartment and means for swinging said arm on its pivot from a horizontal to a vertical position or vice versa, whereb the signaling device may be lowered below the layer of air impregnated water.

4. Sound signaling means including an arm in which a plurality of signaling devices are mounted, a compartment located in the hull of a vessel in the water, means for pivoting said arm in said compartment and means for swinging said arm on its pivot from a horizontal to a vertical position or vice versa.

5. In combination with a vessel, sound signaling means mounted thereon including a plurality of signaling devices and an arm in which said devices are mounted, means for hinging said arm at one end and driving means comprising a driving shaft extending from within the vessel and means operatively connecting said shaft externally with said hinging means to rotate said arm, said signaling means being positioned in the water, whereby the signaling device may be lowered below the layer of air impregnated water.

6. In combination with a vessel, sound signaling means mounted thereon including a plurality of signaling devices and an arm in which said devices are mounted, means for hinging said arm at one end and driving meanscomprising a driving shaft having a friction coupling extending from within the vessel and means operatively connecting said shaft externally with said hinging means to rotate said arm, said signaling means being positioned in the water.

7. In combination with a vessel, sound signaling means mounted vthereon including a plurality of signaling devices and an arm in which said devicesare mounted, means for hinging said arm at one end and driving 5 means comprising a driving shaft having a friction coupling extending from within the vessel and means operatively connecting said shaft externally with said hinging means to rotate said arm, and means associated with said coupling to indicate the position of said 10 signaling means, said signaling means being positioned in the water.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

DR. .WILLY KUNZE. 

